The Improbable Love Birds
Hello dear friends!
Today I bring you a heart-warming tale for the festive season.
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| The shy pigeon |
Recently at Animal Tracks we observed the development of an unlikely
but enchanting friendship between a fledgling crow and a young pigeon.
Unfortunate circumstances had led to both wild birds being separately admitted
to the centre: the immature crow was still unable to fly and the pigeon weak
and exhausted, both had been rescued and handed to IAR as they would not have
survived in their natural habitat.
The two birds were placed
in recovery cages side by side within a larger enclosure used at the rescue
centre to house cats, kittens and pups and other creatures at various stages of
recovery and convalescence. Both settled well and soon began to flourish in the
protected shelter. The pigeon quietly feasted on a diet of seeds and grain
whilst the crow greedily devoured anything and everything offered to him.
Possibly realising that, now they were safe and were fed regularly, no harm
would come to them, they both relaxed and became comfortable in their temporary
confinement. They began to unmistakeably converse with each other,
nattering away together from their adjacent separate cages, cheerful raucous
calls from the crow and soft warbled cooing from the pigeon communicating in
their own private language.
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| The handsome crow |
As
time passed and the feathered friends improved and grew stronger, the doors of
the cages were left open so that they could freely move around the high
spacious animal house during the day and to encourage them to stretch their
wings and attempt flight.
The pigeon was the more advanced and soon fluttered to the high rafters
of the enclosure where it surveyed the crow cheekily hopping around and
inspecting the other temporary inmates while constantly keeping a watchful eye
on its friend. When one bird moved to another area of the enclosure the other
would instantly follow, both gaining confidence and strength and a sense of
well-being from their unlikely allegiance. The crow would tilt its head back
with open beak and gesture the pigeon to feed it just as it would have done
with its mother in the wild. Encouraged by his friend’s flying the crow soon
began to flap his wings and take his first tentative flight into the air,
joining the pigeon on the rafters where they curiously observed all the rescue
centre goings-on beneath and around them. Then a few days ago the veterinary
team decided they were ready to be released and the external door to the
outside world was left open for the duo to venture out in their own time.
Before long off they flew into the surrounding wooded countryside together.
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| Love birds |
We shall never know if the two friends will continue to remember each
other or remain in contact, but both of their young lives have surely been
enhanced by the special bond forged during their stay at Animal Tracks. The shy
and peaceful pigeon is maybe still around yet unobserved but the crow is
spotted regularly and visits the centre each day to check on his old friends
and hopefully grab a free meal.
If asked to name an
appealing or endearing creature, crows and pigeons would probably not be the
choice for many, both birds are considered by many to be universal troublesome
pests to society. But having recently witnessed the joyous
unreserved acceptance of each other’s existence demonstrated by these two
very different birds, free from any acquired malice or prejudice, maybe we
could learn a lesson from them in dignified behaviour and
coexistence.
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| Firm friends |
These two innocent young
birds, free from the predisposed suspicion and discrimination customarily
learnt from family and flock, have shown that nurture is indeed as
important as nature, they intuitively disregarded the differences between them
and simply accepted and absorbed the best from each other. At Christmas, the
festive season of goodwill when thoughts of compassion, peace and joy are
particularly evoked, it is not necessary to be a Christian or even
religious to hope that we may all extend that benevolent
attitude to all the creatures of the world and learn from, protect and cherish
all the birds and animals around us.
So that’s
all from me for 2012. Have a very merry, cruelty-free Christmas and I look
forward to bringing you more news from Goa in 2013!
Love from
Olive x
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